September 25, 2018
Tuesday was a transition day. We packed up and stuffed the SUV for our move to the Tetons. On the way, of course, more Yellowstone!
Who’d have thought that the “geyser day” on this tour would end up being by far the most active and fun day (so far). Since we were heading south, our plan was to work the west side of the park, visiting a number of areas my clients had yet to experience, including the first geysers for many of them. Before we got to the thermals, we lingered up north, driving up above Mammoth to get to Swan Lake Flat for sunrise.
A couple of frosty bison greeted us, as did the setting moon, which slid behind a wispy cloud and a mountainside soon after we arrived. The lingering cloud cover on the horizon appeared to be thinning a bit, so I was hopeful that we’d get a good sunrise. First, we drove down to Sheepeater Cliff for a quick wildlife check before returning to the flats.
The mountaintops began to glow as I veered into a pullout. To the east, I spied some distant elk and one very large bull. While my clients concentrated on sunlit peaks, I kept an eye on the action behind us. The bull crested a small hill before disappearing into the trees. Just then, the sun broke free and lit up the entire frosty flats in a warm glow. I knew there was potential for a pretty good wildlife shoot, but we’d have to go find those elk first.
I gathered up the troops, along with our long lenses, and we trekked into the sage. After a couple hundred yards, we finally got to a high enough vantage point to see the far flats. A large bull billowed steam as he bugled. A few cows stood nearby, backlit in dramatic light. Much closer to us, more bugling erupted from the nearby trees, where the first bull I spotted had vanished. It turned out he had a large harem sequestered there. Soon, they were on the move.
It was tough to choose which way to shoot, as the larger gathering of elk was front or side lit, while the more distant elk to the east were backlit. So many choices, and no bad options. Eventually the closer bull and his cows trotted eastward toward the others. It looked like we’d be forced to photograph silhouettes, and lots of glowing clouds of steamy breath. What a pity.
Read the full report from Days 3 & 4 and see more photos in the blog.
Max
